Please do not archive, link or reproduce without Author's Written Permission.

Retribution and Reward

By Lisa Countryman © July, 2001

Section One

PART ONE

The rules of Wicca were not something to be taken lightly, yet that was exactly what Willow Rosenberg did. She played with magic, and despite warnings from her lover Tara, Willow never heeded the rules of Wicca.

At first, Willow played with her growing powers, levitating things or creating balls of light. Then a hellgod named Glory came to town, and Willow focused her power. She ignored Tara’s warnings, citing the imminent danger as the reason, but it wasn’t. Willow had always been a good girl, she had always done as she was told, and she never did anything that was against the rules. That changed.

Willow fought Glory and saved the day, but Buffy had been lost. That was too much for the redheaded witch and she decided that the rules didn’t apply to her. She spent weeks finding the right spell and then did what Tara had warned her against. Willow altered the natural order. She brought Buffy back.

Despite Tara’s fears, the Slayer returned just as she had been before. Willow had used an ancient spell from Egypt, and though it had drained Willow beyond belief, Buffy was home where she belonged. Tara was thrilled that Buffy was alive and well but she was terrified by her lover’s disregard of the Wiccan rede. She and her lover fought about Willow’s growing power until the two had to agree to stop doing spells together. It was a temporary truce, one Tara only agreed to when Willow swore that she would call Giles in England to have him research Willow’s powers. The Watcher was of course more than willing to help. After four days of researching, he was concerned enough by his findings to fly back to Sunnydale. He was one day too late.

Willow came home from patrolling with Buffy and found Tara gone. It concerned Willow because Tara wasn’t one to stay out late, and for Willow Rosenberg, three in the morning was late. She found a note on the bed she shared with Tara, and when she read the words, Willow sat on the bed and cried. Tara was with Emily, a girl from the on-campus Wiccan group. Tara’s note said that Tara and the other witch were doing a new moon ritual to welcome the change in season.

It was June, and Summer Solstice was fast approaching, and for Wiccans it was a sacred time. It was a time when the days were longest, and the warm summer’s breezes inflamed young lovers. It was a time when the sun was moving into the house of Cancer, the moon’s sign.

Willow knew the meanings of the seasons but she was generally more interested in the power that magic offered. She sat and stared at the note in her hands and thought of Tara doing spells with someone else, spells meant for welcoming happy changes in the seasons, and she wept. She pushed her red hair behind her ears and thought about the ritual that Tara was performing. The welcoming of the new June moon was something Tara had talked about since December, or rather, for several months after December. Tara stopped talking about it after Willow’s dabbling into the darker sides of magic.

June was the time of cycles. Fruits were coming into their full potential, and harvests were growing like pregnant bellies. With the sun entering the sign of Cancer, it was a time for family and building homes. Cancer was the ruler of home, family and emotion. It was the sign that covered everything a Wiccan held dear, and this was the time of year when many couples decided to marry. To forge a sacred bond during this month would both honor the god and goddess as well as ask them to bless the union. It was the time to look around you and take stock, to see what bounty Nature and the universe had given you. It was a time to ask what you could give back to those you loved and to the universe. It was, above all, a time to be with the one that you loved most. Willow had completely forgotten.

Tara sat under the full moon with Emily and the rest of the more serious Wiccans. The on-campus group had at first been more of a social group, but after a run in with a Celtic goddess, the wanna-blessed-be members had run for the hills. The women who stayed on were serious in their devotion to the goddess. On this special night, Tara had been scheduled to guide the small coven in their ritual, but her recent quarrels with Willow bothered her. She wasn’t in the sacred space she needed to be, so she allowed Emily to lead.

Emily planned a beautiful ritual, and the group sat in a meadow outside of town and chanted late into the night. They raised a cone of power that had all of the young women humming with energy. After that, each woman was asked to thank the goddess for their bounty and to lead the group in a favorite prayer or chant.

When Tara’s turn came, she was thankful for her friends, and most of all for Willow. No matter what disagreements they had, she loved Willow more than she had ever thought possible. So, when Tara led the chant, she chose a love-based incantation for the ‘Witches Date Book.’

"Focus on peace and happiness filling your life," Tara said as she placed a jar of blue tinted water in the center of the circle. She smiled at her fellow witches and began the incantation. "Ocean Mother, Father Sun, let my will be done. To this spell bring joy and love, roses wild, gentle doves. Aphrodite smile down on me, as I will so mote it be."

The other witches repeated the chant and then Tara poured the water into the grass of the meadow so it could be absorbed by the growing green blades and be energized by the sun. It was a spell designed to help love grow and to strengthen it. It wouldn’t change anything, nor alter any of the fabric of life, only help nurture what was already there. That was the difference between the magic Tara used and the darker forces that Willow tapped. Willow wanted to bend and shape the natural order, to make the universe fit her will. Tara, on the other hand, worked with a gentle and accepting heart. She asked for guidance, and when she did do spells, it was to help speed up or nurture what the universe had planned.

The ritual ended with the sharing of poppyseed cakes. The witches blessed the bread and passed the loaf, ending the ritual with the sacred blessing. Each witch broke off a bit of the sweet cake and fed the woman next to her. She kissed her cheek and whispered the sacred blessing, "May you never hunger." This was followed up with the passing of the chalice. It was filled with honey mead in honor of the season. They repeated the kisses, but changed the blessing to, "May you never thirst."

Afterwards, they broke the sacred circle and the ritual became a late night potluck. They laughed and traded gossip like friends at any other party. It was a fun and happy time, but Tara was profoundly sad. She missed Willow and wanted her lover at her side. In the past she would have joined Willow on patrol, but lately Willow was using dark magic every night and it literally made Tara sick to her stomach. She knew her lover was delving into matters of great consequence and she didn’t like it.

Tara walked quietly to the center of the circle and sat cross-legged by the fire and silently sent prayers to all of the deities she could think of. ‘Keep my love safe,’ she sent into the night sky. ‘Willow doesn’t understand. Please forgive her. I couldn’t make her understand. She means no harm.’ Tara stared into the fire while the others mingled. They were used to the beautiful blonde and her intense focus. Most nights Tara joined in the playful talking, but when she went to the flame and meditated, the others respected her need for extra communion with the goddess.

Willow paced the dorm room. It was almost four in the morning and she was getting worried. She considered going out to the meadow where the Wicca group held ritual, but she decided that wouldn’t be the best move. Willow would wait and then suggest a private ritual with Tara when she returned. Willow smiled as she thought about doing a ritual with Tara. They hadn’t cast together in more than two weeks, and she was looking forward to it. Whenever they did magic, the energy level between them increased tenfold. That always led to an intense night of lovemaking. Willow had missed that aspect of the lovemaking. They had made love since Tara stopped doing magic with Willow, but it hadn’t been the floating above the bed, sparks flying around the room kind of lovemaking. Willow wanted that tonight.

"Hi." Tara came into the room and smiled when she saw Willow sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by blue candles. "You’re still up?"

"Yup," Willow said with a smile. She held out her hand to her lover. "Waiting for you."

Tara’s face lit up and she put her things down on the table. She recognized the prepared space as a ritual like the one she had just come from. She approached the circle and bowed her head and focused. After she calmed her spirit she waited as Willow opened the circle for to enter. She smiled as Willow waved her hand and sealed the circle behind her.

"Hi," Willow said sensually. She kissed Tara, gently brushing their lips together and then easing back before it became too heated. "I’m sorry I missed the ritual tonight, baby."

"It’s okay." Tara sat and guided Willow into place across from her. "I’d rather it’s just us anyway." Tara was glad her lover had prepared the beautiful ritual. She missed doing magic with her lover. Her unwillingness to cast with Willow was only restricted to the dark forces Willow was so fond of channeling. Tara was glad to share the beautiful and loving energy of the normal spells Wiccans cast.

They shared the ritual, and each woman felt the power rising between them. When it came time to give thanks, Willow’s words brought tears to the young blonde’s eyes.

"I thank the goddess for my Tara." Willow looked up from the candle and into her lover’s eyes. "She is my everything, my world, my soul." She reached out and cupped Tara’s cheek. "Without her, my life would be empty. Thank you, goddess, for giving my heart a reason to beat." She leaned over and touched Tara’s lips with her own. "Thank you for loving me, Tara. My heart was wounded, but you healed me."

"Thank you," Tara replied. "Thank you, goddess, for giving me my Willow. She is my heart, my soul, my everything. Please keep her safe, and in love’s name, please let me always be here to take away any pain in her life." She leaned over and mirrored the kiss Willow had given her. "Thank you, baby. Thank you for finding me when I was lost, and thank you most of all for loving me."

They finished the ritual with the sharing of mead and some Ho-Hos that Willow had gotten from a vending machine. It wasn’t homemade poppyseed cake, but the goddess cared more about intent than whether or not a witch had the ‘correct’ offering. After the quick ritual, Willow led Tara to the bed they shared and the two spent the rest of the night making love. When the sun rose and the light of dawn broke through the window, the two were still wrapped in each other’s arms making love. They missed their morning classes, unwilling to leave the much-needed reconnection. They had no idea what awaited them, no idea what Giles was finding in England, and no idea of the danger Willow was about to unleash.

*****

The Scoobies had come to rely on Willow’s new powers. That was fine with Willow, and she reveled in the tingles that erupted just under her skin when she channeled great energy to destroy evil. It made her feel like she was Buffy’s equal, like she was a Slayer in her own right, Willow Rosenberg, evil Slayer.

"Little help, Willow?" Buffy yelled as she struggled with a furry black demon. The monster had the Slayer pinned against an ancient crypt and Buffy was out of places to run.

"Hecate, light my path," Willow said as she thrust her fist at the hairy beast. A ball of flame shot out and the demon howled as its fur went up in a sizzling ball of orange. Willow’s eyes were black as two chunks of coal. She tilted her head and took aim at another furry demon that was snarling at Anya. "I command thee, Hecate. I command the four winds to do my bidding," Willow said as she sent another blaze of fire at the other demon.

Anya screamed as the ball of flame narrowly missed her head. "Hey! I just got my hair done." The former demon turned and glared at Willow. "And you really shouldn’t be messing with Hecate…and ‘commanding’ a goddess? Commanding Hecate?" Anya stalked toward Willow. "Are you insane?"

"You’re welcome." Willow smirked smugly.

"Whatever works," Xander chimed in. He staked a vampire he had been struggling with and walked over to his friends. "Hey, why the nasty eyes still?" He pointed at Willow’s jet black eyes.

"Yeah, you’re keeping that look a little longer than usual," Buffy agreed. "The baddies are gone. No more need for action Willow."

"Sorry." Willow closed her eyes and shook her head. She could feel the power still humming through her body. She opened her eyes and smiled, her normal green eyes back. "Better?"

Her friends nodded.

"You shouldn’t mess with dark magic," Anya warned. "It builds up in your system…like drugs." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Just say no."

"I’m fine," Willow said harshly. "I know what I’m doing so shut the hell up, demon-girl."

"Whoa, where’d that come from?" Buffy took Willow’s arm and stepped closer.

"Mood swings," Anya observed. "Just like drugs. I saw that on a movie of the week. Pretty soon Willow’s gonna be stealing from us to support her magic habit…buying caldrons and herbs with ill gotten gains."

"I don’t need anyone telling me what to do." Willow was furious. She didn’t need Anya reminding her about dark magic. It was a sore subject that always made her think about the minor rift that she and Tara were experiencing. "I know what I’m doing."

"Yeah?" Anya challenged. "Well, you keep tapping the dark forces, and pretty soon they are gonna’ come knocking on your door for payment. Trust me, you can’t tell these guys ‘the check’s in the mail.’ They don’t take checks."

Willow glared at the former demon.

"Maybe you should listen to her," Buffy said gently. "I mean, you have been keeping the scary eyes longer and longer every time."

"So I shouldn’t save your butt anymore?" Willow asked sarcastically.

"No, you shouldn’t." Buffy looked into Willow’s eyes. "I’ve been getting sloppy. Partly because I knew you were here to bail me out, but that’s coming to a stop." She looked over at Xander. He nodded. "Willow, I think you should stop going on patrol for a while," Buffy said quietly.

"What? I’m fired?" Willow looked back and forth from Xander to Buffy. "You can’t fire me! I’m… that’s… that’s like giving me an ‘F.’ I don’t get ‘Fs’. I’m a straight ‘A’ girl. No ‘Fs.’ Never!"

"Calm down, Willow." Buffy bit off a laugh. "This is just temporary."

"So I’m on Wicca probation?" Willow was panicking. "And that’s better…how?"

"Well, evil hasn’t completely taken over," Anya observed. "She’s still a grade obsessed nerd."

"Buffy?" Willow took the Slayer’s arm. "I’m fine."

The Slayer looked over at Anya. With Giles gone, she was the resident expert on evil.

"With her eyes staying black for as long as they have been… I’m thinking her payment is about due." Anya cleared her throat. "And I for one don’t want to be here when that bill collector shows up." She shivered. "They take stuff you really don’t want to part with."

"Like what?" Xander asked. "Are they gonna take Will’s secret stash of Tombraider collectibles?"

"Hey!" Willow blushed. She didn’t think any of her friends knew about her collection of Angelia Jolie magazines, cards, and even a lunch box. "I mean… nu uh!"

"Come on, Willow." Buffy rolled her eyes. "You and Tara have seen that movie a dozen times. Don’t tell me it’s for the plot… and I’ve seen you at that comicbook store drooling over that cardboard cut-out of Angelia."

"I like her sunglasses," Willow said defensively. "And I was trying to stand next to that cardboard cut-out to see how tall the actress is."

"Then how come your eyes never reach higher than her chest?" Buffy asked with a smirk. "If you like the sunglasses?"

"Have you all completely forgotten about the ‘untold evil’ about to be unleashed?" Anya whined. "And I don’t mean Willow’s obsession with that Tombraider chick’s chest."

"There is no evil," Willow said. "I’m not evil…I’m not gonna be evil." She stuck out her lip in a classic pout. "I’m Willow. I am not ever gonna’ be the Big Bad."

"The dark forces will take payment," Anya warned. "Usually that means things like… your soul, your life, or anything else they know you want."

"Whatever," Willow said with a sigh, clearly dismissing the exdemon.

"Um, guys?" Xander pointed to three of the furry demons. They were charging at the Scoobies. Two were slightly singed, and the third was carrying a fire extinguisher.

"Where the hell did they get that?" Buffy asked as she stood in a defensive stance.

"Probably stole it," Anya said.

"Maybe that was payment for a fireman using the dark forces," Willow said snidely. "Ooh… big payment." She aimed her hands at the charging demons. "Hecate, Hera, and Cali, serve me now and light my way. I am Simoon, the gust that covers the desert in sand, the flame that sears the sky, and I alone command the guardians of wind and fire." Flames shot out of Willow’s hands in steady stream. It hit the beasts and they howled, but they weren’t the only ones. Willow screamed in agony as her chest felt like it was on fire from within.

"Willow?" Buffy ran to her friend as the redhead dropped to her knees, but the flame continued, as did Willow’s agony.

"Hello, dark forces calling… we’d like payment now," Anya said in a singsong voice.

"Not now, Anya," Xander yelled as he ran to Willow. "Do something," he told Buffy.

"At least they won’t be a problem." Anya pointed to the demons. They were charred and looked like bits of meat that had fallen through the grill into a barbecue flame. Despite being burned into bits of charcoal, the demons still howled.

"Stop, Willow," Buffy yelled. "Break the spell." She touched her friend’s arm and yanked back her hand. She looked down and saw a blister forming.

Anya ran over to the flaming demons and grabbed the fire extinguisher that had rolled out of the one monster’s hand. She sprinted back to Willow and squirted her in the face.

Willow jerked back her arms and the flames stopped coming from her hands. She fell to the ground on her hands and let out a primal wail of pain and fell onto her side and her body shook.

"Willow?" Buffy knelt beside her friend. "Can you hear me?"

The redhead nodded and let out a whimper. She clucked her chest and swallowed. "Hurts," she whispered hoarsely.

"I told you." Anya edged closer. "Are her eyes still black?"

"You were right," Willow whispered. She opened her eyes. They were green, but horribly bloodshot. "And man, do I owe Tara an apology." She sat up and took a shuddering breath. "And Anya." She looked up at the former demon. "I’m sorry."

"Hey, if blinding pain is all you get outa’ this deal…then I was wrong." Anya tilted her head to the side and studied Willow intently. "Pain is no payment." She rubbed her chin. "A down payment maybe, but not a payment."

"Maybe she got a warning," Buffy said cheerfully. "I mean, since she’s does so much for the good side."

"Warning?" Willow struggled to sit up. "Well, this is me…listening to the Powers That Be." She cringed and clutched her chest. "Ouch. Listening… definitely got my attention."

"Um, might I point out that she’s had many warnings?" Anya rested one hand on her hips. "Tara warns you all the time… I warn you…and Giles even called from England and warned you to stop using dark magic."

"No lectures, please," Willow whined. She rubbed her eyes and sniffled. "I just want to go home and crawl into bed. Please?" She looked up at Buffy with a pitiful frown.

"Sure thing, Will." She pulled her friend to her feet. "Come on guys, let’s call it a night."

*****

They took Willow back to the dorm and helped her upstairs. The young witch was exhausted and could barely manage to make it to the second floor. She was more than a little worried about explaining what had happened to Tara.

"She’s gonna’ kill me," Willow said grimly. "She’s been warning me about the dark forces for months and I haven’t listened."

"If this is the worst thing that happens, then you got off easy," Buffy said as she helped Willow to her door.

"Um hello? Horrible, crippling pain?" Willow reminded her friend.

"I know." Buffy cringed. "But Anya said they take souls…they take lives…so I think one night of extreme ouchness is getting off pretty cheap."

"Anya is not the supreme queen of dark knowledge," Willow said as she glared at Anya.

"This coming from the girl who was just doing the horizontal dance of pain." Anya smirked. "I can’t wait to see what your second payment to the evil bill collectors looks like."

Willow scowled and rolled her eyes as she opened the door to her dorm quietly in case Tara was already in bed.

"Oh, goddess!" Willow stopped in the doorway and felt her stomach drop. "Tara?" She ran into the room in a panic. The room was destroyed, with books and papers strewn across the floor. On the bed where Tara usually slept was a scorch mark in the shape of a body. "No!" Willow yelled as she stumbled across the debris.

"Oh, god, no." Buffy moved into the room and covered her mouth with her hand. The smell of burnt flesh was heavy in the air.

"That’s the kind of payment they take," Anya whispered. She spun and buried her face into Xander’s chest. "They take what you value most," she said as she began to cry. "And Willow definitely values Tara most."

"She’s got to be here," Willow said as she dug through the charred blankets. She tossed back the covers and screamed. Tara’s pajamas were laid out on the sheets. They looked like whoever had been wearing them had been incinerated as they slept. The fabric was still smoldering.

Anya turned and looked, then cringed. "It’s like being hit by a train," she whispered. "But instead of knocking you out of your shoes, it burns you away to nothing… leaves your cloths right there."

"Where is she?" Willow spun and stumbled back to Anya. "Where would they take her?"

"I… don’t know." Anya took a deep breath. "I don’t think they took her anywhere…" She pointed to the ash in the bed.

"No," Willow repeated. "She can’t be gone." She clutched her chest and remembered the agony she had felt at the graveyard, as if her heart had been ripped out of her body. She looked over at the bed where Tara should have been. Willow now realized that her heart had been ripped out.

PART TWO

Giles arrived from England the next morning. There was still no sign of Tara, and Willow was spiraling into a depression so deep that Buffy feared she wouldn’t come back out. Giles brought books with him from the Watchers Councils’ private collection. One in particular explained the dangers of using dark forces. It told of the toll the magic took, and how, even if used for good, dark magic would demand horrible payment. One passage had terrified Giles when he found it. It simply read, "Use magic based in darkness, and forfeit that which brings you light." Seeing Willow’s crumpled form slumped in the beanbag chair at the back of the magic shop made it perfectly clear what, or rather who, filled Willow’s life with light.

"Can we undo this?" Buffy asked quietly. She studied the passage with her Watcher. "I mean, she brought me back."

"I believe that is why she had to pay such a high price," Giles said as delicately as he could.

"So she traded me for Tara?" Buffy was horrified. "I chose to give my life… to save the people I loved." She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. "Tara is one of the people I love."

"I know," Giles said. He wrapped his arm around Buffy’s shoulder. "And this tragic accident does not take away from that sacrifice. Willow didn’t know what would happen." He sighed. "None of us did."

"Giles, what are we gonna’ do?" Buffy looked over at Willow. She hadn’t moved in over an hour. She just sat on the beanbag chair and stared at the doll’s eye crystal in her hand.

"She’s strong. She’ll get through this," Giles said, but in his heart he knew his words were a lie.

"She’s not that strong," Buffy whispered. "She might survive, but… god, Giles. It’s like part of her is broken forever."

"I fear it is." Giles looked into Buffy’s eyes. "Her heart belonged to Tara. I dare say, Willow will never forgive herself for this."

Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath and the opened her eyes again.

"She caused this," Giles said gently. "She was warned by everyone who loves her, especially Tara." He looked over at Willow. Her cheeks were streaked with dried teardrops even as fresh tears cascaded down her face. "Buffy, there’s nothing we can do to help her."

"We can love her," Buffy said with fervor.

"Yes, of course," Giles said quickly. "But I meant…well… I dare say this is something she won’t ever get over."

"She has to," Buffy whispered. She looked at her best friend and tears welled up in Buffy’s eyes. Seeing Willow in so much pain was like a physical blow.

The back door to the shop burst open and slammed against the wall. Spike came rushing in with a blanket over his head.

Buffy and Giles spun around and then sighed in unison when they saw that it was only the harmless vampire.

"Spike," Buffy said in a bored tone.

Anya and Xander came running out of the storeroom when they heard the commotion. They stopped when they saw him.

"Oh, it’s just you," Anya said as she spun to go back to taking inventory.

"What is it, Spike?" Xander asked. "We’re not in a chatty mood." He looked over at Willow. She hadn’t even moved. The heartbroken witch was oblivious to the outside world, off in some private memory of her lost lover.

"Why so glum?" Spike asked. He patted out his smoldering arm. "Someone die?" he joked.

"Shut up," Buffy hissed. She slammed him into the wall at the back of the shop.

His eyes widened as he scanned the room, taking note of who was present and who wasn’t. "Something happen to the platelet?" He looked into Buffy’s eyes and then shifted his gaze over to Willow. "Oh, no… red’s bird?"

Buffy nodded and backed away, too depressed to even bother to hit the platinum haired vampire.

"I liked her," Spike admitted. "I mean… I hated her less than I hate the rest of you do-gooders."

Buffy rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall.

"What do you want, Spike?" Giles moved over to the vampire. "We are in no mood for any of your nonsense."

"When did you fly back over the pond?" He studied Giles then his eyes were drawn back to Willow. Spike knew suffering when he saw it, and the redhead was in serious pain. "How’d it happen?"

"What do you want?" Giles asked in a harsh whisper.

"Right," Spike said, realizing the Watcher was in ‘protective daddy bear mode.’ He always got that way when one of his precious baby bear Scoobies was in danger. "‘Fraid I’ve got more bad news for ya’." He cleared his throat. "There’s something nasty in town. It’s got all the vamps running above ground as we speak."

"What would chase vampires out into the daylight?" Buffy asked.

"Don’t know, but whatever it is… it’s nasty." Spike took out his cigarette pack and tapped it on his palm. "Half the vamps that made it out didn’t exactly make it out in one piece."

"Meaning?" Giles asked impatiently.

"Meaning whatever’s bloody taking over down there sent every vamp out into the daylight minus their right hand." Spike tucked a cigarette between his lips.

"Okay, ew." Buffy scrunched her face. "Why would anyone collect vampire hands?"

"As good luck charms?" Xander wandered over. "Like rabbit’s feet?"

"Anya, could you come here?" Giles called out. He looked over at Willow, confirming that she still hadn’t moved.

"So what’s the plan?" Buffy asked. "Do I let this new evil carve up more vamps before I go kill it?"

"Buffy!" Giles’ eyes shot open wide.

"Well, they would be easier to stake if they only had one hand." Buffy narrowed her eyes and glared at her Watcher. "I mean, can’t the new evil be helpful for once?"

"What is it?" Anya asked. She came over and linked her arm through Xander’s. "I was busy."

"Some new evil in town cutting off vampire hands." Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "Ever hear of it?"

"Nope. Can I get back to work now?" Anya said in a bored tone. Her eyes were red, and she didn’t want the others to know that she had been crying. She and Tara used to talk while Anya did inventory, and out of all of the Scoobies, Tara always tried to treat Anya as a friend. Tara was the first real friend Anya had, other than Xander, and he didn’t count because he was her boyfriend.

"Yes, but if you remember anything, please come tell us," Giles said without looking at her.

"Well, I’m gonna’ go take a peek." Buffy pushed off of the wall and headed for the training room. "What kind of weapons should I bring?"

"That is ill advised," Giles said. "You have no idea what we’re up against."

"Bring a crossbow," Spike suggested. "Those one-handed vampires are in a foul mood." He followed after Buffy. "And get me a nice broadsword."

"I guess we’re going to get a look at the new Big Bad," Xander said with forced cheer. He looked over at Willow. "What about Will?"

"She’s in no condition to be crossing the street on her own… let alone taking on evil." Giles cleared his throat. "I’ll have Anya stay with her."

"Give me demons any day." Xander nodded and went to help carry weapons. He would rather face any evil than be forced to watch Willow’s suffering. Her emotions were always easy to read. She had an expressive face and she was never more transparent that when upset. At the moment, every twinge of agony was etched onto her face. Every breath seemed to cause pain to shoot through her body, as if the act of taking breath, taking life into her lungs, was a harrowing reminder of all she had lost. Xander definitely preferred fighting demons.

*****

It was easy to find the lair of the new evil in town. All Buffy and the others had to do was fight the tide of vampires fleeing the caverns under Sunnydale. The vampires were scared, and things that scared vampires did not make Buffy a happy Slayer.

They reached an area on the far side of the caverns. It was a natural cathedral complete with stalactites hanging down from the high ceiling and stalagmites rising up like unholy spires in homage to the new evil. There were vampires, with both hands intact, standing guard at the back of the huge cavern at the entrance to a smaller cave. Willow and Tara had once commented that the area seemed like the perfect place for holding ritual, except for the hordes of vampires living nearby.

"Do you come to serve?" a tall female vampire asked Spike. She had shoulder length blonde hair and she looked at Buffy, Giles and Xander as if they were bugs. "Are these sacrifices?" She focused on Spike.

"Yeah, right," Buffy said with a snicker.

"Serve who?" Giles asked politely.

"The Great Void, the Star from which everything was born and who leads towards the unending cycle of liberation," the vampire said with great reverence.

"That’s helpful." Buffy raised one eyebrow. "Not."

"Actually it is," Giles whispered. "That’s from the Mahasundari Tantra."

"And that helps us…how?" Xander asked. He cleared his throat and nodded toward the vampire. "Notice that the fang-guard-chick is kinda’ polite. That’s not normal."

"I serve the Star in the Night of Anger," the vampire said in response to Xander’s observation. "The Devouring Star who consumes wicked unbelievers." She nodded toward several vampires scurrying away minus one hand. "There is no need to be impolite when you serve the one will rein supreme."

"And does this supreme one have a name?" Spike asked.

"Do you wish to serve?" the tall vampire asked. "I am Ceti and I serve Krodha-ratri." She dipped her head. "Demons serve as the right hand of Krodha-ratri. Humans can serve as well. Blood must be shed."

"Geeze, talk about your menial labor." Xander frowned. "What, no sweeping or cleaning up around the old temple? All we’re good for is blood letting?"

"Ceti is the Hindu word for servant," Giles observed.

"Who is Krodha-ratri?" Buffy asked as she leaned toward Giles.

"If memory serves, she is a Tibetan goddess, and like Cali, she is capable of great anger and punishment." Giles frowned when he saw two more vampires stagger out of the cave missing a hand. He blanched as he saw the red-black blood seeping from the vampires’ arms.

"It was their choice," Ceti said. "They will be the right hand of my mistress, one way or the other."

"Can we meet your mistress? Spike asked. "I’ll bet she’s got quite a collection of hands down here."

"You walk alongside the Slayer," Ceti observed. She smiled when she saw the startled reactions from the others. "William, you cannot feed, but my mistress can help you. She can devour and regenerate the worlds, or show herself as the goddess who consoles and appeases those who hunger." She looked at Spike with what seemed like genuine compassion. "You hunger," she said confidently.

"Giles, I don’t like it when the baddies know more about us than we know about them." Buffy took a step back.

"My mistress is the great beauty who can change to a nightmare in the blink of an eye." Ceti held out her hand to Spike. "She can return you to all that you can be."

"Be all that you can be? So now she’s using Army recruiting posters?" Xander snickered.

"Dear lord," Giles said as his face paled. He stumbled over to the cavern wall and leaned against it. "Please, in the name of all that is good…not this. Please," he whispered.

"Giles?" Buffy moved toward her Watcher. She had never seen him look so pale. "What is it?"

"Krodha-ratri is one side of the Tibetan goddess with two faces," Giles said. He spoke slowly, deliberately, as if each word was painful. "As Krodha-ratri she is as the devouring Star who consumes wicked unbelievers. But as the Light, her other half, she is the one who leads the good when they are threatened by evil forces."

"So…two faces," Buffy said. "We don’t trust her?"

"Along with her beautiful face," Giles continued. "Krodha-ratri is the complete goddess known as…"

"Tara." A deep, rich laugh came from the cave and then Tara walked out of the shadows. "It has a certain irony, don’t you think?" she asked with a dangerous smile. "I needed a name so my followers could worship me." She shrugged. "I figured I might as well stick with my own."

"Tara…" Buffy felt like she had been kicked in the gut. Her elation at seeing Tara alive was tempered by the fact that the blonde Wiccan was responsible for torturing and slicing up dozens of vampires. That would have been a good thing, except for the hordes of devoted vampire followers Tara had acquired along the way. Many of those followers stood behind the blonde witch and awaited her command.

"See?" Tara said with a dangerous smile. "Even the most simple minded can remember my name." She held out her hand. Her arm was covered in red-black blood. "Ceti," she said in a sexy purr.

"Krodha-ratri," Ceti said in a devout whisper. She tore off her own sleeve and wiped the blood from Tara’s arms. "The unworthy should not defile you with their unclean blood."

"Yes, but after cutting off their arms, I can’t very well punish them further, can I?" Tara smiled and licked her lips. "I guess I can. From now on, if they dare splash blood on me when I whack off their hands, stake them."

"Yes, Krodha-ratri." Ceti tossed aside the soiled rag.

"Tara, how did you get here?" Buffy asked. She edged closer to her friend. "Let us help you."

"Help me?" Tara raised one eyebrow and smirked. "You’re the ones who need help." She pointed one finger at the Slayer and a bolt of red energy shot out and hit her in the chest. Buffy was tossed across the cavern and hit the wall with a bone-crushing thud.

"Okay, that was just rude." Buffy crawled to her feet and glared at Tara. Her chest throbbed and she felt like her skin was scorched.

"Tara, try to remember who you are," Giles said. "Remember who we are. We’re your family."

"I have a new family." Tara inhaled deeply and sent out a mental call to her followers. Dozens of vampire came out of the cavern behind her. "These are my children."

"Remind me not to go that family reunion." Xander backed away and held up a cross to ward off the approaching hordes.

"What about Willow?" Buffy asked.

Tara laughed and ran her hand through her hair. "I should thank her. Maybe I’ll let her be the main course at our first official ritual."

"You love her," Giles reminded Tara.

"The sniveling weakling you knew as Tara loved Willow." Tara looked at Xander and inhaled deeply. "You’re afraid." She moved in a blur of motion and grabbed him by the throat before Buffy could even react. "I like that," she whispered. "Fear tastes sweet like honey."

"Let him go," Buffy ordered. She aimed her crossbow at Tara. "Now."

"Glory was a fool." Tara dug her fingernail into Xander’s cheek. A streak of blood ran down his face. "She didn’t understand you." Tara licked the blood from Xander’s cheek and moaned when she tasted the warm, sweet liquid.

"I’m Xander. Remember me? I’m the nice guy." He tried to pull away but her grip on his throat was strong and secure.

"I can taste your fear," Tara whispered in his ear. "I can’t wait to taste your pain."

"Buffy?" Xander squeaked. He cringed as Tara tightened her hand around his throat.

A crossbow bolt flew through the air with blinding speed. It hit Tara in the shoulder and she didn’t even flinch. She smiled and looked down at the offending bolt and it disappeared in flash of flame.

"Niffy trick," Spike complemented. "Now let the Nancy-boy go."

"Hey," Xander said indignantly. "I mean, yeah, let me go."

"I’ll tell you what." Tara picked up Xander and flung him across the cave into Giles. The two men fell to the ground even as the vampires behind Tara edged closer. "I’ll let you have this one." She looked over at Buffy. "And I’ll come take Willow. She has something I want."

"What would that be?" Giles asked.

"The human I was gave her heart to Willow." Tara scowled, clearly disgusted by the weakness she was admitting. "I’m going to rip out Willow’s heart and dine on it to even the odds."

"I like this new Tara." Spike smiled. "She’s got a nasty streak, and she’s demented."

"Shut up, Spike," Buffy said in a growl. "I don’t care who you were, Tara. I won’t let you hurt Willow."

"Let me guess," Tara said as she tapped her chin as if calling up some memory. "I’ll have to get through you to get to her?" She smiled at the Slayer.

Buffy nodded and aimed the crossbow at Tara’s chest.

"Good," Tara said sensually. "I can’t wait to taste a Slayer."

"Giles, can’t you do something?" Xander whispered.

"William, serve me." Tara held out her hand toward Spike.

"Not bloody likely," Spike scoffed. "I mean, you get all evil and now you think you’re the new Big Bad? And I’m supposed to just drop everything and fall at your feet? Please. I have some dignity left."

"I can help you feed." Tara smiled seductively and licked her full lips. "Can’t you smell the blood from there?"

"Well… I…" Spike inhaled and could smell fresh human blood on Tara. He looked over at Buffy. "She’s been feeding on humans, recently."

"Is she a vampire?" Xander asked.

"You cannot understand what I have become, little man." Tara snapped her finger and Ceti moved beside her. Tara lifted her chin and Ceti leaned down so the witch could kiss her. After a quick kiss, Tara pulled back and a red strand of energy could be seen leaving Ceti and entering Tara through her parted lips.

"She has a pulse," Spike said. He could see the pounding vein on Tara’s throat.

"We’ll get you back," Buffy promised Tara. "Or we’ll stop you."

"You’ll try." Tara wrapped one arm around Ceti’s waist and ran the other hand over the beautiful vampire’s cheek. "That’s what makes you so noble." She smiled sweetly and looked over at Buffy. "Seen any nice portholes lately? I really liked the last swan dive. Very touching."

"Enough of the melodrama." Buffy’s eyes narrowed and she took a step closer to Tara. "I think I should just toss you over my shoulder and drag you home. We’ll let Willow and Giles figure out how to undo this mess."

"William, do you want that chip out?" Tara ignored Buffy. "I want to hear some of your lovely poems, William. Maybe I can inspire a nice sonnet. What rhymes with exsanguination?"

"Temptation?" Spike suggested as he considered Tara’s offer.

"Join me." Tara still had one arm around Ceti. She opened the other arm and nodded toward the space beside her. "I studied all of Angelus and Drucilla’s most delicious torments when I was human. I saw the fear they inspired." Her eyes narrowed. There was not a hint of kindness or love in them. Tara looked like a predator. "I can do better," she said in a husky growl.

"Spike has crush on Buffy," Xander blurted out. "Besides, you can’t get rid of his chip…" He looked at Giles. "Can she?"

Tara’s eyes fluttered closed and she inhaled deeply. She opened them and smiled at Spike. "William?"

"Oh, yeah," Spike said as his face morhped. "Spike the Big Bad is back." He walked over to Tara and stepped beside her.

"No," Tara said calmly as Spike screamed and grabbed his head. Tara smiled as pain shot through the vampire's skull. "William… my Big Bad is back." She grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him down to her level. "Mine. Never forget who you serve." Her eyes turned gold like a vampire’s and then she slowly extended her wrist. "Taste the power," she whispered.

"Spike, you double crossing bastard!" Buffy pointed her crossbow at him. She hesitated, wondering if he was tricking Tara so he could grab her.

Spike took Tara’s hand and dug his fangs into her wrist. He moaned as her hot blood pumped into his mouth filling him with power. He growled and suckled greedily. Her blood was sweeter than anything he had ever tasted, and her energy was filling him. It was a thousand times more powerful than when he had tasted a Slayer, and it was hot like molten nectar.

"Enough, William," Tara whispered.

"What the…" Spike looked down at her wrist and tried to bite her again. His teeth had easily punctured her sweet skin before, but with one thought, not only had the injury healed, now his fangs would no longer break the skin.

"Who do you serve?" Tara asked in a husky whisper.

"You, only you, Tara." Spike kissed her wrist where he had just fed. There was nothing sexual in the contact, only reverence.

"Leave now, Slayer," Tara said as she petted Spike’s cheek. She looked over at Xander. "Or maybe you’d like me to make a spider-eating-man-bitch out of him?"

"I know you’re in there, Tara." Buffy looked at her friend with pleading eyes.

"Gonna’ cry?" Tara taunted. "Come on, Slayer. Cry for me." She smirked. "Willow told me how you wept for days when Angelus took over. Come on, Buffy. Let me see your tears."

"This isn’t Tara," Giles said darkly. "We should go."

"We can’t just leave her here." Buffy pointed at Tara. She knew this new development would devastate Willow.

"You really should go," Tara said. "It’s almost feeding time."

"Yeah?" Buffy held up her crossbow and aimed it at Ceti and fired.

Ceti clung to Tara and the crossbow bolt bounced harmlessly off of Ceti’s chest.

"I vote for going," Xander said quickly.

"We’ll regroup and come back later," Giles whispered.

"Yeah, you do that," Tara said with a laugh. "And bring Willow. I want to see her cry before I rip her heart out." She waggled her eyebrows. "You should have seen her cry when Joyce died. That was incredible. I’ll bet I can make her cry even harder."

"Leave Willow alone!" Buffy charged at the thing that used to be Tara.

"Not now, Buffy," Giles said as he scooped her off of the ground. "We’re quite outnumbered and she seems to be able to protect them."

"I’ll be back," Buffy said.

"What? No Schwarzenegger accent?" Tara taunted. She watched the Scoobies hurry away and then pulled away from Spike and Ceti. "Hungry, my darlings?"

"What’s on the menu?" Spike asked.

"Witches," Tara said with a smile. "Well, actually, they’re wanna’ blessed-be witches." She turned her head, silently beckoning her other servants. They dragged out a group of young women. "Isn’t that right, Cheryl?"

"What are you doing?" Cheryl asked. "We used to be in your Wicca group."

"And you thought magic was superstition," Tara replied. "Where’s your altar for women’s power now? One vampire can suck the life right out of you." She looked over at Spike. "Enjoy," she said as she walked out of the cavern with a smile. Cheryl was one of the young women from the Wicca group at Sunnydale, or rather she had been. She considered the group a social group, and left when signs of real magic came up.

Spike snarled and grabbed the young woman who had once tormented Tara and sank his fangs into her throat and drained her.

"Yeah, baby!" Spike yelled as he dropped the lifeless girl to the cavern floor. "The Big Bad is back!"

PART THREE

The trip back to the magic shop gave Buffy time to think about what she had seen. She cringed as they pulled up in front of the store. Now she had to tell Willow that the love of her life was Sunnydale’s newest evil. Worse than that, Tara was evil and it was Willow’s fault. Buffy didn’t understand how, but she knew it was the tragic payment that Anya had warned about.

"Let’s get inside," Giles said as he opened the shop door.

"Man, I so do not wanna’ see Willow’s face." Xander scanned the shop interior and saw Anya at the counter. His fiancée smiled and trotted over to them.

"Good news," Anya said proudly. She looked behind Xander and frowned. "Where’s Spike? That new demon didn’t kill him did it?"

"No such luck," Buffy said darkly.

"His chip’s gone," Xander explained. He saw her expression fall and took her hand. "What’s the good news?"

"Tara called," Anya said. She smiled brightly. "It was all a mix up. Willow went—"

"When?" Buffy demanded. She grabbed Anya’s arm. "Where did she go? When did she leave?"

"Ouch." Anya backed out of the Slayer’s grip. "She left ten minutes ago. This is good news, you know."

"We just came from the catacombs," Giles said. "Tara is the… creature we were seeking."

"Creature?" Anya swallowed. "Creature is bad. Creature is not human. Is she a vampire?"

"We’re not exactly sure what she is," Giles admitted.

"Where did Willow go?" Buffy asked. "She’s in danger. Tara…or whatever that thing with Tara’s face is… wants to kill Willow."

"I’m not sure…" Anya looked at the phone. "I did hear Willow say she’d be home in a few minutes." She frowned. "But does that mean Willow’s parent’s house, Willow’s dorm, or Tara’s dorm?"

"Tara’s," Buffy and Xander said in unison.

"Let’s go," Giles said as he spun and ran for the door. "At least it isn’t dark. Tara’s vampires can’t help her."

"Tara has vampires?" Anya ran out behind them, stopping to lock the front door. "Since when does Tara have vampires?"

"She has vampires, and a nasty collection of hands from vamps that wouldn’t do her bidding." Xander pulled Anya over to Giles’ car.

"You know, that sounds familiar," Anya said. "Did she call the ones who agreed to follow her…her right hands?"

"Yes." Buffy stared at Anya as she climbed into the back seat. "Do you know who that thing is?"

"It’s been a long time." Anya squeezed her eyes shut and tried to remember. After eleven hundred years of living, her memory was crowded and disorganized. "You know, humans did that. The Muslims were big on whacking off the right hand. They loved their sword of justice."

"Yeah, but if it stuck out in your memory, it musta’ been bad," Xander said. "I mean… you remember bad stuff… you were impressed by things that make us cringe."

"Well… thank you very much for making me feel like one of the gang," Anya whined. "Do I constantly remind you of your shortcomings?"

"Um…yeah, you do," Xander answered.

"Your demonic shortcomings?" Anya asked angrily.

"I… don’t have any demonic shortcomings…" Xander furrowed his brow.

"Great, so now I’m a freak!" Anya burst into tears. "Look at Anya, she’s the only one with demonic shortcomings."

Giles shook his head and sped toward the university. He prayed they would reach the dormitory before Willow.

*****

The lawn in front of the dormitory was crowded and Willow had to push her way through the other students. She had almost fainted when she heard Tara’s voice on the phone and she needed to see her lover and feel her touch to believe she was alive.

"Willow!" Tara yelled as she came running out of the dorm. She smiled brightly when she saw Willow coming toward her.

"Tara, oh baby, I thought you were…" Willow fell into her lover’s arms and wept. She clung to Tara, sobbing in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Shh, darling," Tara whispered. "I’m fine. I was taken away but I’m fine now." She smiled as she felt Willow tremble. "But…"

"But what?" Willow eased back and took Tara’s face in her hands. "What is it, baby?"

"Buffy needs us," Tara said smoothly. "Spike called when you were on the way over." Tara pulled Willow away from the building. "We have to hurry."

Willow nodded and let her lover lead her. She would follow Tara anywhere.

Ten minutes later, Tara and Willow were deep in the basement of the psychology building. Tara led her lover through the complex maze of halls deep into the underground structure.

"What are we doing here?" Willow asked in a whisper. She held Tara’s hand, unwilling to let go for even one second. She had noticed her lover’s unusual warmth, but Tara explained that she had a slight fever. Still, Willow wasn’t convinced. "You’re really hot. Are you sure you’re okay?"

"I’m fine." Tara smiled and pulled Willow into a deserted lecture hall. "This is it. Spike said Buffy would meet us here."

"Why is Spike making Buffy’s calls? Is he her secretary now?" Willow frowned as she and Tara walked into the dimly lit room. "Buffy?"

"Hello, Red," Spike said as he moved up behind Willow.

"Spike!" Willow spun and glared at him. "You startled me." She pulled Tara closer and tried to slow her breathing. "Where’s Buffy?"

"She wasn’t invited," Spike said with a smile. He leered at Tara and then looked into the shadows behind both witches. "You can come out now, pet."

"This isn’t funny, Spike. Where’s Buffy?" Willow knew something wasn’t right. She stepped in front of Tara to keep herself between the vampire and her lover.

"Oh, it’s about to get funny." Spike grabbed Willow and tossed her aside. Before Willow could react, Spike had Tara by the throat. "I always thought you had the most…delicious skin." He ran his hand along Tara’s throat.

"Willow?" Tara’s voice shook as she looked over at her lover.

"Get away from her!" Willow started to attack Spike but someone grabbed her from behind.

"Willow, meet Ceti," Spike said as he continued to run his hands over Tara’s neck and face. The blonde witch squirmed.

"Hello," Ceti said. She had Willow’s arms pinned behind her back.

"B-buffy’s gonna’ be mad," Tara said as Spike began dragging her toward the door.

"I know," Spike said with a menacing laugh.

"Who are you?" Willow demanded as she tried to break free from Ceti.

"I’m the one who took out Spike’s chip," Ceti lied. She smiled when she felt Willow’s entire body tense.

"Spike, let Tara go," Willow pleaded.

"I don’t think so. I have other plans for her." He nuzzled Tara’s throat, then raked his tongue along her pulse point.

"Willow?" Tara’s voice was a squeak and her body trembled. Terror filled her eyes.

"It’ll be okay," Willow promised.

"Really?" Ceti asked. She used one hand to keep Willow trapped and then brought the other hand around and put a necklace over the witch’s head. "Now you can’t use magic," Ceti whispered.

Willow and Tara locked eyes as Spike carried the blonde from the room.

"Tara, I’ll come for you. I swear!" Willow fought to get loose but couldn’t break free of Ceti’s grip. "Let me go. Now!"

"I don’t think so." Ceti pulled Willow over to the wall and flicked a switch.

Willow could see through a mirror into the next room. A light came on, and that room could be clearly seen. It was one of Professor Walsh’s observation rooms, and Willow knew from her classes that the small chamber was sound proof. The outside observers could see into the small cubicle but the occupants couldn’t see out. Willow got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. That feeling only got worse when the door opened and Tara came flying into the room and hit the table with a thud. It was only then that Willow realized the intercom was activated. Willow could hear what was going on in the small room, but Tara couldn’t hear her.

"Why are you doing this?" Tara asked as she struggled to her feet.

"Because it’s fun." Spike came into the room and closed the door. He locked it, and tucked the key into his pocket. "And because you smell so sweet." His face morphed and he bared his fangs.

"No!" Willow yelled.

Ceti tossed Willow over to the glass partition and smiled as the redhead began sobbing.

"Tara," Willow whispered as she pressed her hands onto the glass.

"Spike… y-you’re m-my friend…" Tara backed away from him, moving so the table was between them. Her stutter always got worse when she was frightened.

"Wrong." Spike flipped the table over and grabbed Tara even as she squealed. He hit her hard across the face and she was knocked into the glass. Her lip was bleeding and her eyes were full of terror.

"No!" Willow yelled again. She moved along the glass and tried to touch Tara through the window, but her lover couldn’t hear her. Willow had no way of knowing that the entire scene was being choreograph just to make her suffer.

"P-please," Tara begged as she turned and pressed her back to the glass. She shook her head as Spike stalked closer. "Spike, no…"

"Spike, yes," the vampire said as she grabbed her and threw her across the small room.

"No!" Tara yelled as she scrambled across the floor on her hands and feet like a crab. "Oh, goddess!" Tara whimpered when Spike grabbed her ankle and pulled her closer. "Willow!" Tara screamed. "Willow, help me!"

"No!" Willow pounded on the thick glass even though she knew Tara couldn’t hear her. "Tara!"

"Cry, scream, beg," Spike said in a soothing tone. "It won’t help, but I do so love good groveling." He yanked Tara to her feet and tossed her back over to the glass.

"P-please don’t do this," Tara begged. She twisted her face away from him as he clutched her throat. It gave Willow a perfect view as Spike leaned down with his fangs bared. "Please… Spike… no." Tara was sobbing. "Willow? Willow, why won’t you help me?"

"I’m here, baby! Oh, goddess, fight!" Willow pounded on the window. "Spike, no!

"I’m gonna make you scream so loud," Spike promised. He held Tara by the throat with one hand as he pulled the table over next to the window. Tara struggled the entire time, hammering on his back and crying as she fought to get loose. When the table was in place next to the glass, Spike smiled and stared through the glass.

Willow was sobbing as she pounded on the glass. Ceti stood back and watched, amazed by her beloved Krodha-ratri’s acting ability. Truly she was a goddess. She had the redhead falling apart, just as planned.

"Willow!" Tara yelled as Spike lifted her onto the table. "No, no, no," Tara screamed as she kicked and scratched the vampire.

"Yes, yes, yes," Spike taunted as he slowly leaned down and wrenched Tara’s face to one side. He bent down and hovered with his fangs just over Tara’s skin. He glanced through the glass and smiled at Willow as he sank his fangs into Tara’s throat.

"No!" Willow tried to pull off the necklace from her throat but the amulet was stuck in place. "Tara!" Willow tried to focus her magic but nothing happened. She watched in horror as Tara’s struggles slowed. Tara’s pounding fists dropped limply to her sides and Spike lifted his face and looked at Willow through the window. Blood covered his face and ran down his chin, Tara’s blood.

"Should I make her drink?" Spike asked Willow. His voice was distant, the intercom making him sound a bit tinny. "Turn your sweet Tara into a beast like me?"

Willow shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks. Her breath came in pants as she stared in disbelief. She had just gotten Tara back only to have her torn out of her arms.

"Nah," Spike said. "You’ll just curse her like Angel. Where’s the fun in that?" He grabbed Tara’s blouse and lifted her toward him and buried his fangs into her neck again. He drank for a while longer, snarling as he ripped chunks of her flesh, and then dropped her lifeless body onto the table. Her head hit with a solid thump that make Willow cringe.

Ceti yanked Willow away from the window and into the hall. The witch was in shock and offered no resistance. When they reached another door Willow stiffened. The door opened and Spike smiled.

"I was right," he said. "She was delicious."

"I’m going to kill you," Willow said calmly. Hatred filled her petite frame and she shook with pent up rage. She wanted to say more, but her mind was filled with images of Tara’s death and words were beyond her.

"Whatever." Spike stepped aside so she could see Tara’s body.

"No!" Willow ran to her lover. Tara was sprawled across the table and was as pale as chalk. The blonde’s throat had had been ripped out, and the jagged wounds oozed blood the color of roses. Willow checked for a pulse but there wasn’t one. She rested her head on Tara’s chest and sobbed. "I’ll make him pay," she whispered. She wept uncontrollably for several minutes, wondering why Spike hadn't killed her as well. Part of her wished he had. It would hurt, but the pain would end. Losing Tara was an agony that she would feel forever. She sobbed against Tara’s cooling body and then she felt Tara move. Willow slowly pulled back. "Tara?" Her heart soared.

"Did you like that?" Tara sat up and laughed. She shook her head and the jagged rips in her throat disappeared. "Because, I have to tell you… I really enjoyed it."

"What? Baby?" Willow backed away. There was nothing familiar in Tara’s eyes.

"I loved hearing her cry," Spike said from the door. He pointed to the intercom on the wall. Two lights were lit, which meant the sound was set to go both ways. Tara and Spike had heard all of Willow’s screams.

Willow slowly shook her head from side to side as she tried to understand what was happening. She had felt Tara’s warm hand, felt her pulse. There was no way Tara was a vampire, and yet when Willow looked at her lover now, she saw evil.

Tara snapped her finger and Ceti rushed to her side. "Take her to the main entrance," Tara whispered huskily. "I want to let her suffer for a while. She’s so fun to play with… I don’t want to kill her just yet."

"Tara?" Willow whispered.

"What of the sun, my mistress?" Ceti asked politely.

"Shh, darling," Tara murmured as she kissed Ceti’s forehead. Tara’s eyes were locked on Willow. The redhead cringed as she watched her lover kissing the vampire. "Just let her go in the hall, baby." Tara lifted Ceti’s chin and locked eyes with her. "But don’t hurt her." She smiled. "She’s my toy."

"Yes, Mistress Krodha-ratri." Ceti turned and grabbed Willow.

"Tara, what happened?" Willow asked hollowly. She was in shock. Her skin was clammy and her head was spinning. "Baby?"

"You happened," Tara yelled. She took a calming breath and looked at the redheaded witch. "You tampered with the dark forces and I got the reward." She stepped over to Willow and cupped her chin. "You freed me."

"No." Willow shook her head, but the feeling of Tara’s touch still stirred her heart. "Tara, fight. I love you."

"Love?" Tara tilted her head to one side and then locked eyes with Willow. "You need a soul to love. Thanks to you… I don’t have one of those icky things anymore. Not even a half-soul. None of those at the pound." She laughed and backed away. She blew Willow a kiss and a tiny burst of flame fluttered through the air and then disappeared right before it reached Willow. "Come, William." She held out her arm.

"It’s been fun." Spike took Tara’s arm and led her down the hall. Tara crept away with animal grace and fluid movement that reminded Willow of a panther, smooth and dangerous. It was not her Tara. Her Tara was graceful and smooth, but there was never any menace to her movements. This Tara oozed danger.

"Come," Ceti said quietly.

Willow staggered alongside the vampire. Ceti walked at a brisk pace that Willow had to jog to keep up with. Tara’s comment about the half-soul at the pound had hit Willow especially hard. Tara had once joked about finding half-camels at the pound. The fact that this soulless Tara mentioned it meant that whatever Tara was now, she had the memories of the woman Willow loved.

When they reached the main entrance, Ceti shoved Willow toward the doorway. "See you soon." The vampire spun and hurried back toward the basement door.

"Oh, goddess," Willow whispered as she ran out into the sunlight. She fell to her knees on the grass and had to fight the urge to vomit. She could taste bile in her throat and her stomach lurched. She looked back at the building where she had just watched her worst nightmare come true. Seeing Tara drained by Spike was every horrific nightmare Willow had ever had. Now, she had a worse reality. Tara had no soul, and the creature controlling Tara’s body was intent on making Willow suffer. It was like when Angelus had been obsessed with making Buffy’s life a living hell.

Willow’s stomach lurked but nothing came up. She hadn’t been able to eat anything since the night before and now see was glad. She wiped her mouth and knew what she had to do.

"Buffy," Willow whispered. "I have to get Buffy." She stumbled to her feet and ran for the street. "I’ll get you back, Tara," she promised in a whisper. "I’ll save you or I’ll die trying, baby."

*****

Tara’s dorm room was empty when Buffy got there. The Slayer was in a panic as she sprinted over to Willow’s dorm. The redhead wasn’t there either. She and the others wandered across the campus in a daze, not knowing where to look for Willow.

"We have to go back to the caverns," Buffy said as they headed toward the parking lot.

"You know it will most certainly be a trap," Giles pointed out.

"So…Tara’s evil?" Anya clarified once again. She had asked the same question at least a dozen times before.

"That thing wasn’t Tara," Xander said. "It was… she was…" He shuddered. "It wasn’t Tara."

"So why did she…I mean… it, why did it call Willow?" Anya asked.

"Whatever the being is that now inhabits Tara…it enjoyed watching us suffer." Giles nodded toward his car in the distance.

"Well, that really doesn’t narrow it down," Anya pointed out. "Anything else to go on?"

"Other than the fact that it de-chipped Spike?" Xander swallow hard. "Nope. Just your average possession for the sake of torture and making the Scoobies squirm kinda’ demon."

"It… Tara… Tara was warm," Buffy said. She looked over at Anya. "I got close to her and I could feel the heat without even touching her."

"Okay, warm and enjoys causing suffering." Anya bit her lip. "That narrows it, but still, we’re talking thousands of things it could be."

"She sucked something outa’ that vamp chick of hers." Xander sighed and shook his head. "And yet another way to hurt Willow. Evil Tara leaves and has a new babe the very next day. Ouch."

"What kind of something? What did she suck?" Anya asked.

"Energy," Giles said quietly.

"Red energy," Buffy added helpfully.

"Could be a sucubus," Anya said, but then she shook her head. "No, they wouldn’t be working with vampires."

"I think Tara’s been feeding on humans." Buffy cringed. "At least that’s what Spike said before he became Tara’s lap dog."

"When Spike fed from Tara, he seemed abnormally energized." Giles paused as he unlocked his car door. "And Tara was able to heal her wounds instantly."

"We should put all of these demon traits into a computer program...have it just spit out an answer." Anya frowned. "But I guess we’d need Willow to write the program…and to put in all the data…" She tried to swallow, but her mouth was suddenly dry. "Guess she won’t feel up to doing that even if we can get to her before Tara kills her."

"Damn it, Anya…" Before Buffy could finish yelling at Anya, she saw something that made a wave of relief wash over her. "Willow," she said as she ran toward her friend. The redhead was rushing toward the street. "Willow!"

"Buffy?" Willow spun toward the sound of her friend’s voice. She saw the Slayer and ran toward her. "Oh, goddess, Buffy!" She sprinted the last few remaining yards and stumbled to a stop. "Tara…something evil has her…"

"We know," Buffy cut her off. "Are you okay?" She looked her friend over for any injury.

"No. No, I am not okay," Willow said darkly. "Buffy…it was horrible." Her lips trembled. "She… Tara…Spike…"

"I got ya’," Buffy whispered as she pulled Willow to her chest. "Shh, I’m here."

"Spike…he…and Tara…she laughed." Willow sobbed.

"Let’s get back to the shop where we can do some research." Buffy guided Willow toward the others. "You love research. You and Giles can have a research party. I’ll even make some tea and get those stale English biscuits."

"Scones," Willow said between sniffles.

"Yeah, I’ll get scones." Buffy caught Giles’ eyes and he nodded and opened the back door. "With tea and scones, and you and Giles on the research team, we’ll have Tara back in no time."

"It’s my fault," Willow said as she pulled away to get in the car.

Buffy shook her head. "No. It’s that demon inside Tara’s fault."

"I’m very sorry your girlfriend turned all evil." Anya moved closer to offer her support. She saw the amulet around Willow neck and let out a deafening scream. "What the hell are you wearing that for? Get it off!" She backed away and waved her hand at it. "Get that away from me!"

"Tara’s… that vampire, Ceti put it on me. I can’t get it off." Willow looked down at the amulet. She hadn’t really examined it before. It was black, and seemed to be made of carved stone and was completely unmarked. It looked very old.

"What is it?" Giles went to Willow’s side. He tried to lift it away from Willow’s chest but the amulet wouldn’t come off. "The lace is leather, yet I can’t break it." He grunted as he tried to snap the thin piece of leather.

"Slayer job." Buffy pushed him aside and strained to break the leather. It didn’t even stretch. "Okay, not a Slayer job." She looked at Anya. "What is this and why did it give you the wiggins?"

"That thing’s blank," Anya said. "It could be anything."

"So?" Buffy tugged on the leather straps. "Okay, how do we get this thing off?" She looked over at Giles. "Yo, mister Watcher-man? Have any words of wisdom?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Giles turned his head and nodded toward a small group of students who were staring. "I think we should go back to the shop and deal with it in a slightly less public arena."

"Oh, yeah." Buffy stopped yanking on Willow’s necklace and nodded toward the car. "So, Willow, what happened with…well…with Tara?"

"Oh, Buffy." Willow covered her face with both and hands and began weeping.

"Let’s go," Buffy whispered. She guided Willow into the car and the others climbed in.

On the way back to the shop Willow was able to stop crying long enough to explain what had happened. Giles was particularly horrified by Tara’s actions and Buffy swore that she would personally stake Spike.

Anya listened intently, making note of the skillful technique Tara had used as well as her healing ability, but what most interested Anya was the cleverness Tara went out of her way to display. As a vengeance demon, Anya understood how much planning a good revenge or punishment scheme took, and Tara’s was perfect. It had everything. It was Willow’s worst nightmare, it was heartbreaking, it exposed Willow to unimaginable betrayal and, best of all, it left the redhead open to countless future suffering. Not many demons had the patience to go for the slow torment. So many young demons would go for the bloody and painful death, forgetting that to make someone live through their suffering was the mark of a great demon. Anya was impressed.

Back at the shop Anya suggested that they study beings from the Middle East. She thought the severing of the right hands might offer a clue to the demon’s identity. Willow helped with the research, but she was almost useless. One wrong word from anyone, one reminder of Tara’s plight, or one mention of something that reminded her of her lover and Willow would burst into tears.

"Hey, Willow, didn’t you say that Tara blew you a kiss of fire?" Buffy looked up from an ancient text.

Willow nodded as she continued searching through a book on breaking charm spells. She wanted the amulet off of her neck and she wanted it off now.

"Okay, so could we be dealing with an Elemental demon?" Buffy looked back down at the page. "This says that there are certain mischievous demons aligned with the elements. These dudes are made of water, earth, air, or fire. Could that thing be a fire elemental?"

"Anya?" Willow looked over at the former demon.

"Maybe," Anya said slowly, but she shook her head. "A fire demon is mischievous, but this thing with Tara seems to be teaching Willow a lesson, and it seems to really get off on hurting her." She stood and moved closer to Buffy and pointed at the text. "These guys and mostly harmless imps. Yeah, they’ll set your hair on fire, or make your barn explode, but they don’t usually mess with shattering your soul."

"Could it be a vengeance demon?" Giles asked.

"Why would a vengeance demon be after me? I haven’t hurt anyone!" Willow glared at Giles.

"You were dabbling in the black arts," Giles reminded her. He pushed his glasses higher onto his nose and gave her a chastising stare.

"Yeah, well… there’s that…if you’re gonna’ get picky," Willow grumbled.

"Vengeance demons don’t handle that." Anya tilted her head and studied Willow. "Did you cheat on Tara?"

"No!" Willow shouted. "How could you even ask that?" She stalked over to Anya. "I would never do that to her. I love her."

"Yeah, well, you said you loved Oz too, and that didn’t stop you from kissin’ on Xander." Anya looked over at her fiancé. "And he’s off limits, just so we’re clear on that, because if you so much as wave a lip at him, I’ll call in one of my old associates like that." She snapped her fingers.

"I don’t want Xander." Willow rolled her eyes. "I want my Tara." Her lips began to tremble and her eyes overflowed with tears.

"Look out. Here we go again." Anya jumped back. "Buffy, hug duty. I’ll get the Kleenex." The former demon walked over to the counter and grabbed a box of tissues and hurled them at Buffy. The Slayer caught them on her way over to Willow.

"Tara," Willow whispered as she gripped Buffy in bear hug that would have knocked the wind out of a grizzly. "Buffy…"

"I know." Buffy held her best friend. She remembered her own grief when Angel had become Angelus. This was not something she ever wanted her sweet Willow to have to deal with. "I’m here." Buffy swore to herself that whatever demon had Tara was going to pay.

*****

"William?" Tara called out. She wandered to the back of the luxury apartment and flopped onto the bed. "William?"

"What is it?" Spike came into the bedroom. His face was covered in a bloody smile. "Just finishing up with those sweet little coeds you gave me," he said as he glanced back toward the living room.

"I have a plan." Tara rolled onto her stomach and kicked off her shoes.

"I like the sound of that," he said with a devious grin. "Your last plan was downright evil," he complemented. "Mind if I finish my snack while we talk?" He had learned that this new Tara was crueler than Angelus, but she liked the polite niceties of the civilized world. Spike had a vicious burn on his back from an earlier transgression when he had grabbed a young woman and drained her without thanking Tara first. She had sent a flame shooting out of her hand and burned a hole into his flesh.

"Of course," Tara said with a demure smile. She waited while he dragged the half-conscious woman into the room and sat on a chair next to the bed.

Spike yanked the girl across his lap and suckled on her throat, but then he paused. He lifted his lips and pushed the girl toward Tara. "Would you like some?"

"No, no, you go right ahead." Tara raised her hand and shook her head.

"Mistress, I’ve prepared everything as you asked," Ceti said from the door. "The plumber just left. Would like me to call the botanist?"

"Thank you." Tara studied the vampire. Ceti was eager to please, and she worshipped Tara, but she wasn’t exactly what Tara wanted. "Have them bring in fresh topsoil first thing tomorrow and fill the tub."

"Yes, Krodha-ratri." Ceti spun and hurried to the phone in the other room. The apartment had belonged to Glory, and Tara had enchanted the landlord. He willing gave her the luxury condo and looked the other way when a dozen of her favorite vampires moved in. Of course, the fact that he was now dead had a lot to do with his decision, but he should be rising soon. Ceti had turned him at Tara’s suggestion.

"Had the hot tub drained? I saw that fat plumber capping the pipes earlier. Bloody waste of a good hot tub." Spike couldn’t understand why anyone would want to put plants into a hot tub. He liked the sensation of having his body warm. After years of death, he got tired of always being room temperature. Spike smiled as he looked over at Tara. Every time he fed from the voluptuous blonde he felt like his veins were on fire.

"I don’t like water." Tara frowned. She waved her hand and a small centipede appeared on the bed. She smiled at it and watched it explore the silk comforter. She liked the way its tiny feet slipped on the slick fabric. It made a wonderful scratching sound. "You shouldn’t either, William. Vampires hate running water."

"That’s not always true." Spike took a sip from his coed. She was completely unconscious now, her blood level too low to keep her awake. "I like a nice dip in a hot tub. Gets the old life’s blood heated up." He licked his lips and leered at Tara. "Though there are other ways to do that."

"To quote a naughty Slayer… I don’t drive stick." Tara shook her head. She thought about Ceti. The beautiful vampire didn’t make her blood churn like it should. She hadn’t even wanted to ravage the porcelain-skinned vampire. It was Willow’s fault. She haunted the memories flooding Tara’s mind.

"The botanist will be here in the morning," Ceti said from the door. She smiled shyly at Tara. In life, she had been a nun named Mary Margaret, but that had been ninety years earlier. Ceti was ready for a new master to worship, and she didn’t want to forsake the flesh to do it.

"Thank you." Tara smiled brightly and waved the beautiful vampire over. Ceti’s hair was cut shorter, just below her ears, and it was now dyed red instead of her natural blonde. "Come," Tara whispered and then sat up and patted her lap.

Ceti hurried to the bed and sprawled across the soft silk comforter. She rested her head in Tara’s lap and closed her eyes, letting out a contented purr when Tara combed her fingers through the freshly dyed hair.

Spike took his time with his latest kill, taking a sip and then stopping so he could make the teenaged girl last.

"I want to make the witch suffer," Tara said as she continued playing with Ceti’s hair. She leaned down and kissed Ceti’s forehead, letting her lips linger as red tendrils of energy left Ceti and entered Tara. "Beautiful," Tara whispered as she pulled back. "Such a lovely shade." She played with Ceti’s red-gold hair, dyed to be an exact match to Willow’s color.

"Well, we got a nice start on her suffering today." Spike looked down at his meal and sighed. She was drained, and her dead body was growing cold. He gave her a shove and she flopped onto the tan carpet.

"Care for another?" Tara asked with a knowing smile. "It has been a long time."

"No thanks." Spike shook his head. "I was full three coeds ago. Just can’t seem to stop."

"Like eating potato chips," Tara remarked. "One’s never enough." She leaned down and drew out more of Ceti’s energy with a kiss. "Now then." Tara sat up and faced Spike. "I hope you have enough room left over for dessert."

"And what…or rather...who might that be?" Spike smiled.

"Dawn." Tara laughed as she watched Spike’s face lose its spark. "What’s the matter? Has being chipped so long made you domesticated?"

"It’s not that," Spike said a bit too quickly. "But the Slayer’s sister? The bloody Key? Buffy will kill us all."

"The bloody key? Yes, I do like the sound of that. Let’s make Dawnie bleed lots! We’ll wait for nightfall. I’ll be stronger then." Tara picked up Ceti’s hand and kissed her wrist and then sank her teeth into the vampire’s flesh. "Umm, salty. Just like potato chips." She licked the minor wound and kissed it again, healing the cut instantly. She smiled at the vampire under her and then held out her palm. A flash of fire sparked and a scorpion appeared on Tara’s fingers. "This is Missy Stingy Fantasico." She smiled and showed her creation to Ceti.

"My goddess, you are truly divine." Ceti looked at the scorpion and touched it with one finger.

"She’s a sneaky one," Tara said. "And full of painful venom. I can’t wait to introduce her to little Dawnie."

Spike swallowed hard. So far he had killed, but that was his nature. Making Willow think that he had killed Tara was mostly harmless, after all, the blonde wasn’t really dead. But to kill Buffy’s sister? He wasn’t sure he could take part in that. He did have feelings for Buffy, and even without the chip he didn’t want to hurt Dawn. He liked the bratty girl. ‘Well, crap,’ he thought. ‘When did that happen? I am domesticated.’

In the back of his mind he filed away this new Tara’s comment. She was stronger at night, which was saying a lot considering she was practically invincible during the day.

The centipede climbed over Ceti’s arm and Tara smiled. She picked it up and placed it on Ceti’s belly next to the scorpion. "She likes you," Tara whispered.

"She serves you, Krodha-ratri, like me." Ceti’s blue eyes sparkled. "I exist only to please you."

"Sweet Ceti," Tara whispered. She held her wrist out to the vampire.

Spike’s mouth watered as he watched Ceti drink from Tara’s wrist. He could hear her growling and slurping as she enjoyed the heat of Tara’s blood. Ceti’s body flushed, and her skin glowed a healthy pink as if she were alive. He looked down at his dead coed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Don’t pout, William." Tara giggled. For a moment she sounded almost like the old Tara. She nodded her head toward the empty spot on the other side of her bed. "I’ll warm you too. All you have to do is listen to me," she whispered seductively. "Listen to my words, hear my bidding and know it for the truth it is." Her words were like music, and Ceti responded by whimpering and sucking harder.

"Okay, but don’t let that little bug bite me." Spike made a mock protest as he crawled across the bed and rolled onto his back.

"Miss Stingy Fantastico won’t bite you." Tara put the scorpion on Spike’s chest and smirked when he squirmed. "Trust me," Tara whispered. She pulled her left wrist away from Ceti and the wound sealed. She rested that hand on Ceti’s chest as she turned to Spike. "I’ll show you your true nature." Tara extended her right hand to Spike and he buried his fangs in her soft skin.

He moaned, his whole body burning. He tried to remember what it felt like to be alive. He didn’t think it felt this hot, this overwhelming.

"You can kill the Slayer," Tara whispered. She hummed as Spike fed. The tune was hypnotic, and soon Ceti was humming with her. "All you have to do is get her trust." Tara pulled her wrist away. A tiny flame erupted on her skin as the wound healed. "Buffy wants to trust you, William." She ran her hand through his spiked hair and then caressed his earlobe. "Play on her fears."

"You do that bloody well for someone who doesn’t drive stick," Spike commented.

"Seduction knows no gender." Tara smiled and traced whirlwind patterns on Ceti’s chest as she spoke to Spike. "I’ve seduced thousands with only my voice."

"Umm…" Spike nodded. Tara’s voice had him entranced, but at the back of his mind he was screaming. He was William the bloody, Spike…killer of Slayers… he shouldn’t be lying in bed with Willow’s frail lover like a lovesick puppy begging to be petted. And yet, here he was. "Seduced thousands? All without driving stick?" Spike asked as he tried to take control of his thoughts.

"You needn’t touch a body to take the soul." Tara blew warm air toward Spike. Her breath was as hot as a steel mill’s bellows, like a flame heating his skin to near burning. "I’ve seduced them all, except one." Tara voice was musical, but her tone and cadence were nothing like the woman Spike knew as Tara Maclay. She almost had an accent, but Spike couldn’t place it. Tara sighed, her hot breath like hell fire. "And he was beyond temptation. Stupid Buddha," she whispered, sounding very much like the old Tara when she was frustrated.

"Don’t you just hate people with conviction?" Spike asked. He closed his eyes and his mind raced. ‘Seduced thousands? Without touching their bodies?’ He realized he was toying with something very powerful, the problem was, at the moment, he was finding it very difficult to care. Tara’s fingers left trails of heat on his skin, and his body was warm, warmer than when he had been alive. He liked it, he wanted more, and he would do anything to get it.

PART FOUR

The sun set and Buffy’s concern rose. She didn’t want to think about the hordes of vampires that Tara now had at her disposal. The Slayer had gone to Willie’s bar and asked the local demons for information. For once, the demon population had been forthcoming. Tara had been slicing up vampires, but she had also been killing other demons.

Willow and Giles continued trying to remove the amulet without much luck. Anya suggested that they should focus on making the black stone reveal its true nature. She explained that the amulet shouldn’t be blank, and that if they used the correct incantation, they could make its real form appear.

"What about this?" Xander asked. He pointed at a weathered book. "This says these demon guys like to prove how clever they are."

"Which demon guys?" Anya came closer and looked at the book. "Let’s hope that’s not what we’re dealing with." She shivered.

"What are they?" he asked. He was reading an ancient account from Islamic folklore. "Jinn? Like the drink?"

"No." Anya rolled her eyes.

"I believe I’ve got it!" Giles exclaimed from across the room. "The amulet is changing."

"Well, what is it?" Willow lifted the black stone and watched as the flat surface morphed revealing a spiral pattern. "Huh," Willow said, clearly confused. "Giles?"

"I’m not certain," the Watcher replied. "Anya? Could you come look at this?"

The former demon walked over to Willow and leaned down to look at the amulet. "Oh, crap!" She jumped back. "Xander was right!"

"Don’t sound so surprised," Xander said defensively. "Hey, I was right!" He smiled proudly. "What was I right about?"

"That thing is the harnessed wind!" Anya grabbed Xander and hid behind him. "If Tara’s new sidekick gave that to Willow, she could be infested with Jinn."

"Willow doesn’t even drink." Buffy crinkled her brow as she walked into the room. Dawn was at her side and the younger girl laughed.

"Jinn, with a J. The Western term is genie," Giles explained. "Anya, is that amulet a Jinni artifact?"

"Artifact?" Anya snorted. "That’s a talisman. It holds a Jinn captive." She pointed at the amulet. "Don’t rub it. We don’t want an angry Jinn roaming around. They hate being controlled. It pisses them off!"

"Like that cute blue guy in Aladdin?" Willow stuck out her lip. "He didn’t seem evil." She picked up the amulet and studied it.

"Yeah, well, Disney whitewashes all the evil hordes. I wouldn’t be surprised if that corporation is run by demons." Anya sighed and her eyes glossed over. "Yeah, those seven dwarfs? Pure evil. The real dwarfs kidnapped Snow White. And Jinni? Let me tell you… other demons won’t even associate with them. No way. They have no loyalties. They’ll use their evil magic on their own kind, and that’s just not cool."

"If Tara has a genie, why isn’t she making three wishes?" Dawn asked. The others looked over at her. "I read 1001 Arabian Nights. She should get wishes."

"You explain it," Anya said. "I am not pissing off those dirty little bug herders."

"Bug herders?" Buffy furrowed her brow.

"The Jinni can shape shift," Giles said. "They are particularly found of becoming insects and other crawling beasts. They also have a fondness for those creatures and make pets out of them."

"So how is it controlling Tara?" Willow asked. She looked down at the talisman and cringed. "And how do we get this off of me?"

"The Jinni are ill tempered, contrary creatures." Giles looked at the amulet. "They live to cause trouble, and they will go to great lengths to punish anyone who offends them."

"Who offended them?" Willow asked.

"Um, hello? Who is the one being terrorized?" Anya pointed to Willow and then scanned the room. "Raise your hand if your lover is possessed? Raise your hand if your worst nightmares are coming true, and just for kicks…raise your hand if you’ve had a Jinni amulet locked around your throat."

"I didn’t do anything!" Willow insisted.

"Not intentionally," Giles said. "But for a Jinn, that wouldn’t matter. Even if it was an accident, a Jinn would feel justified in tormenting you."

"Well, I’ll tell it I’m sorry. Then it’ll let Tara go." Willow nodded her head. "Right?"

"Right," Anya snickered. "And Pocahontas lived happily ever after."

"She didn’t?" Dawn asked.

"If you call dying of pneumonia in England when she was twenty-one years old…living happily ever after," Willow said sarcastically. She shrugged when Anya’s jaw dropped. "Hey, I took Native American studies."

"Okay, enough Mickey Mouse bashing." Xander pointed at his book. "What about these Jinn guys?"

"Jinni," Giles corrected. "That is the plural form, though I would guess we are only dealing with one Jinn."

"Damn right," Anya said. "The Jinni are one of the few classes of demons who don’t work together. They can’t be trusted."

"All I need to know is how do I kill it." Buffy rubbed her hands together.

"You don’t." Anya looked over at Willow. "Jinni are only vulnerable to magical attacks, and even those can barely hurt them." She leaned over toward Dawn. "By the way, that Disney mermaid, that was a crock too. The real ‘Little Mermaid’ died."

"Stop telling her those things!" Buffy said. "You’re ruining her happy memories."

"While were talking about happy…" Anya gave Dawn a shrewd look. "I could tell you a few things about Disneyland…. Happiest place on earth my ass."

"Can we get back to saving Tara?" Willow asked harshly. "If this is a Jinn, what can we do? Can we… reason with it?"

"If this is a Jinn, they are way too impetuous to reason with." Anya ran her hand through her hair. "The Jinni were made from fire so they have hot tempers. They get pissed off, and they don’t like to be reasonable."

"Fire?" Buffy perked up. "Tara’s body’s hot."

"Buffy!" Willow said as she glared jealously at her friend.

"I mean literally," Buffy clarified. "Her skin was hot." She pointed at Anya. "She just said… that Ginny thing was made of fire."

"Okay, so an evil Jinn has Tara, and I’m wearing the latest Jinni accessory?" Willow lifted the necklace. "As much as I like being the demonic fashion queen… can we get this off of me… like maybe, oh I don’t know…now!"

"Let me have another look." Giles pulled Willow over to a large oak desk covered with magical supplies and tools. He started poking the talisman with an athame and rubbing sacred oils onto it.

"Where is Tara?" Dawn asked quietly.

"She’s not at the caverns anymore," Buffy said. "Her vampires are there but according to the demons at Willie’s, Tara moved to someplace uptown."

"No," Dawn said as she walked over to the Xander’s book. "That’s the Jinn. Where is Tara?" She pointed at Buffy. "You told us that the thing in Tara’s body said she didn’t have a soul anymore. So, where’s Tara’s soul?"

"She’s right," Anya said. "The Jinn usually just whisper in people’s ears and make them do things. For this one to have completely taken over, it had to displace Tara’s soul."

"Maybe it’s in a bottle," Xander said.

"Enough Disney crap," Buffy told him. "We need real answers."

"He could be right," Anya said. "Well, kind of."

"So we have to run around rubbing every bottle we see?" Buffy raised one eyebrow. "Any bottle? Or just old ones? Cause I’m thinking we could spend all day at the recycling center and not put a dent in all the bottles."

"Not about the bottle part." Anya rolled her eyes. "It’s not unheard of for Jinn to take a human’s body by trapping the person’s soul in the Jinn’s former prison."

"Yeah, this guy in here." Xander patted his book. "He was a human trapped in bottle for a thousand years while the Jinn ran amok. He wasn’t released until the Jinn was recaptured."

"The Jinn needed the body vacant and it needed someone to take his place in his prison." Anya rubbed her chin. She looked over and saw Willow kneeling next to the counter with the amulet on the flat surface. Giles was about to hit the talisman with a hammer. "Stop!" Anya yelled. "Geeze, you break that thing and you could kill Tara!"

"What?" Willow jumped out of the way just as Giles pulled back the hammer.

"That’s a talisman. It’s made to hold a trapped Jinn." Anya walked over to Willow. "So, if Tara’s soul is missing… it had to go somewhere…"

"Why would this evil Jinn just hand Tara’s soul over to Willow?" Buffy asked. "I mean, why give us what we’re looking for?"

"To show us how clever she is," Willow whispered. "Anya said they like to show off how smart they are. She’s putting Tara right under my nose…literally." She picked up the talisman and stroked it. "Oh, Tara." She looked over at Anya with tears in her eyes. "Can she hear us? Does she know where she is?"

"She’s um… well…" Anya bit her lip. "You know, we should do more research."

"What aren’t you telling us?" Willow demanded.

"Yeah, cuz if Anya is trying to be tactful…it must be bad," Buffy agreed.

"Well, thank you very much," Anya snapped. "I try to save Willow’s feelings and what does it get me? Mockery. Pure mockery."

"Aan?" Xander asked gently. He often shortened her name when he was upset. "What were you being so sweet trying not to say?"

The former demon hesitated. She took Xander’s hand and sighed. "If Tara is being held in an inanimate object like this talisman, she’s not aware of where she is…"

"But?" Buffy asked. She knew there was always a but.

"But, she’s in limbo, a nasty limbo." Anya frowned. "Jinni are creatures of both fire and wind. They control the hot dessert winds, so Tara is probably trapped in a perpetual blazing sand storm…inside this thing." She pointed to the necklace on Willow’s chest. "Every second would feel like an eternity."

"Oh, baby," Willow whispered as she cradled the amulet. She closed her eyes and thought about her lover facing the hot desert wind and then Willow opened her eyes and swallowed hard. "I think I know what made the Jinn angry."

"What?" Giles moved closer.

"Right before I had that horrible feeling last night… when I felt like my chest was on fire… I cast a spell." Willow sat on a nearby chair, her legs suddenly weak. She looked over at Giles with a dejected expression. "Jinni are made from fire and wind. Could they be considered guardians of the wind and fire?"

Giles nodded.

"So when I used a spell to take control of those guardians…?" Willow covered her face with both hands.

"The Jinn abhor servitude above all else," Giles said. "They’ve been forced to serve men for centuries, and they hate them for it."

"I also changed a spell I found," Willow said wearily. "It was supposed to call on Simoon; she’s the desert wind. I was kinda’ into the moment and said that… well…"

"What did you say?" Anya asked with a leery expression. "Exactly?"

"I think I said…" Willow rubbed her face and tried to remember the spell. She had memorized an old Gypsy spell, but then altered it and added a few lines. "I am Simoon, the gust that covers the desert in sand, the flame that sears the sky, and I alone command the guardians of wind and fire."

"So you basically tried to harness all the Jinni to do your bidding on a whim." Anya slapped her own forehead. "Gee, can’t see why that would piss them off."

"So, are all the Jinns coming after her?" Dawn asked.

"Jinni," Giles corrected. "They are called the Jinni, and I have no idea." He turned his head and looked over to where Anya was stalking back and forth in front of the desk. "Anya?"

"How should I know?" She was agitated and pacing. "Odds are there was one Jinn around who heard Willow’s spell and that Jinn was the source of the spell’s power. That Jinn was probably pissed off that some witch used it like a Duracell battery."

"Why was it here?" Willow asked.

"They lurk," Anya said with a shrug. "It’s what they do. They creep around. We can’t see them, but they like to spy on us. They’re nosy little buggers." She rolled her eyes. "And then there’s the whole temptation thing."

"Which could explain why you didn’t heed any of our warnings," Giles chimed in. "A Jinn will whisper in a person’s ear, try to get them to do things they shouldn’t."

"Like a little devil on your shoulder?" Xander asked.

"Precisely," Giles said. "This Jinn may have been pushing Willow into using dark magic."

"I think I would know if I was hearing voices," Willow said indignantly.

"It wouldn’t be a voice," Anya said logically. "You’d just have a nagging feeling that you wanted to do something." She looked over at Dawn. "Like Dawnie and her kleptomania."

"What?" Dawn blushed to the roots of her hair.

"Don’t think I haven’t seen you pilfering little things from the shop." Anya glared at the young girl. "And some of my earrings went missing after you visited." Anya waved her hand at Dawn. "I figured it was a phase, what with your mother croaking."

"Anya!" Buffy yelled.

"What? I let her go through it." Anya looked at Buffy with a superior glare. "She’s grieving. Don’t you watch Oprah? Doctor Phil talked about this whole thing. Dawn is ‘acting out.’" Anya made quote marks in the air. "She needs her ‘parental figure,’ that would be you," she pointed out. "To catch her and make her feel loved by doing an ‘intervention.’"

"She’s a little thief?" Buffy asked as she glared at Dawn. "You stole from our friends?"

"It was the Jinn," Dawn said with absolute conviction.

"As soon as Tara’s back, you are in so much trouble, missy!" Buffy said angrily. "You want intervention? I’ve got your intervention. I’m gonna’ intervene your ass off until you’re old and grey."

"Can we focus here?" Willow said as she stomped her foot. "Big evil… has Tara…. Does any of this ring a bell?"

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said meekly. "So how do we unJinn Tara?"

"We may have to do an exorcism," Giles said with an appalled sigh. "And that could very likely kill Tara."

Willow clutched the amulet and her heart pounded.

"Pessimistic much?" Buffy put one hand on her hip and glared.

"Without the Jinn’s name, we are almost powerless," Giles said grimly. "We need that to make the exorcism even slightly safe."

"I thought they were all named Jeanie?" Xander frowned.

"Xander, you watch way too much Nick at Night." Buffy shook her head.

The back door to the shop opened and Spike walked in.

"Evening…" Spike had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and he stared at the floor.

"You!" Willow was on her feet in an instant. She grabbed a stake from the table and sprinted at the vampire. She had been replaying Tara and Spike’s little scene all day long. The images of her lover being brutally murdered plagued her even after she knew that the evil Tara had orchestrated it for her eyes.

"I brought flowers." Spike held the daisies up to block Willow’s path.

"Whoa, Will," Buffy said as she flipped over a table and intercepted her best friend. She pinned Willow to her chest and backed away from Spike. "This could be a trap."

"He… he… Buffy, you didn’t see it." Willow clutched the stake in her hand and her body shook. "You didn’t see what he did to her."

"Hey, she asked me to," Spike said defensively. "And I she liked it… a lot."

"Let me stake him. Just once." Willow squirmed to get loose.

"Spike, give me one reason why I shouldn’t let Willow loose while I go get the Dustbuster for clean up?" Buffy eyes were hard and cold and she was fighting her own urge to stake him.

"Because…" Spike tossed the flowers onto a nearby table. "I came to save the niblet’s life." He looked over at Dawn and nodded his head in greeting. "Hey, kid."

Dawn’s eyes widened and she backed up until her body pressed against the wall.

Spike smiled as he watched the fear cover Buffy’s face. He knew Dawn was her Achilles heel. "What? No staking Spike now that he has the low down on Tara’s plot to slaughter Dawn?"

"Kill him," Dawn told Willow. She had almost gotten sick when she heard what Spike and evil Tara had done to Willow. "We don’t need his help."

"Fine," Spike said. "You deal with a Fire Goddess and see how well you do." He smiled smugly.

"She’s not a goddess." Buffy carried Willow over to where Giles was standing. "Hey, Watcher-man… watch her." She pushed Willow into his arms and took the stake from the angry redhead.

"Let me go." Willow tried to get loose.

"It’s best we let cooler heads prevail," Giles said as he struggled to keep Willow under his control.

"She breathes fire," Spike said. "I saw her do it."

"So do a few dozen demons." Anya rolled her eyes. "We already know what has Tara, so you’re pretty much useless." She smiled at him.

"And de-chipped." Buffy held up the stake and eyed Spike. "You’re not defenseless anymore, so I could stake you right now and not feel anything but…oh… joy?" She shook her head. "Glee?"

"Bliss," Willow said dangerously. "So let me do it."

"I came to help," Spike pointed out. "You’ll need my help if you want Red’s girlfriend back."

"Help?" Buffy punched Spike and he staggered across the room. "Help? Is that what you were doing when you put on the little act for Willow?" She went over and kicked Spike in the chest as he tried to get up. "I’ve got news for you, Spike. We don’t need that kind of help."

"She’s gonna’ carve up Dawn into little pieces and mail them to you… bit by bit," Spike said with a wheeze. "But by all means…keep kicking me… I’m sure her army of vampires will wait until you’re done."

"Carving?" Dawn’s face paled.

"Explain." Buffy grabbed Spike by the throat and dragged him over to the oak table. She slammed him against the wood and glared at him. "Now. You get one chance and then I let Willow deal with you."

"Okay," Spike said quickly. "Let me catch my breath." He rubbed his chest where Buffy had kicked him. Normally, that would be an odd threat. A slayer was generally the most dangerous thing a vampire could face, but that had all changed when Spike laid his hands on Tara. It didn’t matter that Tara was evil at the time, all that mattered was that Willow had watched Spike hurt the body of the woman she loved. Right now, Willow was far more dangerous than Buffy.

"He’s a vampire," Xander whined. "He doesn’t have breath."

"Yeah!" Buffy punched Spike in the stomach.

"Ouch," Spike whined. "Why do I even bloody try?" he mumbled.

"What do you know?" Buffy squeezed his throat.

"She breathes fire," Spike squeaked as his larynx was pressed under Buffy’s fingers.

"You already told us that," Buffy said sweetly. She tightened her grip.

"She lets us feed off of her," Spike choked out.

"Us?" Buffy let go and took a step back. She didn’t like where she thought he was going with his comments. "Who is us?"

"Her favorites." Spike rubbed his throat. "And I gotta’ tell you… after doing her… I haven’t felt that alive... well, since I was alive."

Giles exhaled in a sharp gust as Willow elbowed him in the stomach. He lost his grip and the angry witch broke free. Willow’s eyes were like ice as she sprinted for Spike. She grabbed a short sword from the counter as she crossed the room and drew back and charged at the vampire. "I owe you this." Her voiced was strained, full of anguish and unbearable pain. "Bastard."

"Geeze." Buffy tried to grab Willow but with the sword flailing in the air she was a cagey target. "I suggest you run," Buffy said as Willow got past her. "Man, she’s faster than she looks."

"What?" Spike jumped up and backed away. "Wha’d I say?"

"You did her?" Willow spat. She plunged the sword into his belly and his knees buckled. She yanked it out before he hit the floor. "You DID her?" she yelled furiously and raised the sword up to take off his head. Buffy twisted the weapon out of her shaking hand. "No!" Willow glared at her best friend. "Buffy…"

"Crikey," Spike said as he cradled the gapping wound in his belly. "I bit her… Bit her! I didn’t shag her." He coughed and hissed when black blood oozed from his mouth. "I drank her blood, you stupid witch." He looked up at Buffy. She was still having difficulty restraining Willow. "I could use some first aid here," Spike whined.

Giles threw a handkerchief at Spike and then helped Buffy pull Willow further away.

"Thank you so much." Spike rolled his eyes and tried to pack the tiny bit of fabric into the huge slice. The handkerchief quickly saturated with his blood and he tossed it aside. "Remind me again why I bother to help you?"

"Reminded me again why I don’t stake you?" Buffy asked sweetly.

"Because I know Tara’s weakness," Spike said. He flopped onto the floor and sat cross-legged staring at his stomach. "That’s quite a temper, Red. Didn’t see that one coming."

"Start talking or I’ll give Willow her little toy back." Buffy held up the bloodstained sword.

"Shh…" Giles had both arms around Willow. The brokenhearted witch was trembling. "He only fed from her. I know it’s a small consolation, but he didn’t…"

"Maybe Joan of Arc there should take her lil’ sword on the road and have a chat with Ceti." Spike cringed as he squeezed his wound shut. "She and Mistress Tara have been having some alone time in the old boudoir."

"Do you want her to whack your head off?" Buffy asked in a harsh whisper. "Keep pushing, Spike. I’m getting tired of saving your ass. Frankly, I don’t know why I’m bothering to stop her."

"Ceti? She’s the blonde vampire?" Willow asked hollowly. Her body was as taut as a piano wire and one breath of pressure would make her snap.

"Not anymore. Miss Clairol does wonders for a demon." Spike smirked. "Guess Tara still likes red hair."

Willow slumped against Giles and swallowed the bile at the back of her throat.

"If it’s any help, I don’t think they’ve actually shagged…yet," Spike said, tossing Willow a bone.

"What else can you tell us?" Giles nodded to Xander and waited for him to come take Willow. "Other than her blood energizing you, what have you noticed?"

"She’s stronger at night." Spike let out a breath. He could feel his wound already sealing. All of the fresh humans he had drained and Tara’s heated blood had made him strong. "Oh, and she hates water. She drained a perfectly good hot tub."

"That fits," Giles said. He went over to the bookshelf and pulled out several texts. "Water can be used to dissipate mystical energy, like dropping a power line into a lake."

"And if her power is fire based, water would weaken her even more." Anya grabbed one of the books from Giles. "And, all Jinni get more powerful at night. That’s their favorite time to roam around."

"Jinni?" Spike closed his eyes and sighed. "Please tell me I haven’t been sucking energy from a filthy Jinn."

"They aren’t all filthy. A few are meticulously clean," Giles pointed at his text. "Oddly enough, some have become devote Muslims or Christians. Those Jinni don’t help mankind, but they seem to leave them alone."

"And that helps us how?" Buffy asked.

"Well, it doesn’t…" Giles said quietly. "I just thought it was…interesting." He blushed.

"We have to exorcise it," Anya said. She walked over to Spike and leaned down so she could look into his eyes. "She didn’t happen to tell you her name did she?"

"No," Spike scoffed. "Although, she did mention seduction when we were in bed." His eyes shot over to where Willow was. "We were talking, nothing more." He struggled to his feet, not wanting to be an easy target if Willow got loose again. "She said she’s seduced thousands with just her voice."

"Jinn do that." Anya nodded her head. "They do that whispering thing. Like the Horse Whisperer but with people."

"How does knowing that the genie who’s controlling my lover is a demonic slut help us?" Willow asked through clenched teeth.

"She doesn’t shag them." Spike cleared his throat. "She said you don’t have to touch the body to possess the soul."

"Well, that’s for sure." Anya pointed at the amulet on Willow’s neck. "Jinn actually prefer not to cause physical harm. They make you do it to yourself."

"Wait, they can’t hurt us…so why aren’t we over there getting Tara back right now?" Buffy pointed her sword at the door.

"She could whisper in your ear and make you run your sword through one of us," Anya pointed out. "She could also get a mob of vampires to attack us."

"She can shoot flames outa’ her hands. Let’s not forget that." Spike cringed as he remembered the scorch marks he had on his own back. "Jinn can kick your behind, they just choose not to."

"Here," Giles said excitedly. "This has a Jinni exorcism." He scanned the book. "Water, yes of course." He looked at Spike. "You’re sure you don’t know her real name?"

"All she said was that in her entire life, only one person was able to resist her. Then she was cursing Buddhists."

"What did she say?" Anya asked.

"She mumbled, ‘Damn Buddha.’ She didn’t sit me down and show me her flying carpet driver’s license." Spike poked his belly, frowning when the wound began seeping blood again.

"Giles, you said she was pretending to be the Buddhist goddess Tara? And that Ceti vampire calls her Krodha-ratri?" Anya walked over and grabbed a tattered book from the shelf.

"Yes, she did, and be careful with that book." Giles rushed over with a concerned scowl. "That text survived a monastery fire in Calcutta during the crusades."

"Well, duh," Anya said. "Two friends of mine started that fire." She flipped to the section that chronicled the early life of Buddha. "Right there." She pointed and smiled triumphantly.

"Buddha was tempted by a spirit," Giles said in a bored tone. "That’s common knowledge. He forsook the demon and remained pure."

"Not just a spirit." Anya rolled her eyes. "Read between the lines. It was a Jinn."

"Oh…" Giles pulled the book closer, accidentally ripping the page. "You think it’s the same Jinn?"

"Well, that would explain why she’s using the name of a Buddhist icon," Spike said with a nod. "Kinda’ giving Krodha-ratri a bad name. Jinn like to play games like that."

"Does that tell us the Jinn’s name?" Willow asked as she allowed herself to hope for a happy ending.

"The temptress spirit is well documented." Giles smiled over at Willow. "Her name is Mara." He frowned. "Except I always thought Mara was a male demon."

"As if," Anya said with a snort. "Mara is all woman, well, demonic woman." Anya grabbed another book. "She’s a Buddhist demon who tries to trick people into damning their souls."

"I thought a genie had Tara." Xander rubbed his face. "Aren’t we looking for a genie? Since when are genies into Buddha?"

"Jinni can be Buddhist." Anya walked over to her fiancée. "Honey, Jinni were created before humans, and like humans they can be any religion."

"Religious demons?" Buffy groaned. "Can we just go kill it…or stick it in a bottle or whatever it is we need to do?"

"By learning the Jinn’s name, our chances have improved greatly." Giles took off his glasses and wiped the lenses. "Or in this case, Jinniyah. Jinniyah is a female Jinn," he said.

Buffy’s eyebrows knitted together like she was about to blow a fuse from all of the new vocabulary.

"All right, just call it a Jinn," Giles said with a sigh.

"But?" Buffy and Xander asked in unison. They knew there would be a but.

"But…" Giles put his glasses on and read a footnote in the text. It took him a moment as he translated it from the original Latin. "Mara is a formidable foe. Mara is an Afrit, one of the most dangerous levels of Jinni. They are considered to be the embodiment of cleverness, and they hold a grudge."

"I don’t care how clever she is. We’re getting her out of Tara’s body right now." Willow went over and flipped through the text on exorcism. She frowned as she read the requirements. "Um, so…any chance we can…like distract this Mara chick? Because we’ve got a whole lot of setting up to do. I don’t think an angry Jinn is just gonna’ let us do all this in her living room."

"Oh, you could distract her, all right." Spike leered at Willow. "Trust me, the way she’s got Ceti walking around all dressed up in ugly sweaters and mismatched skirts…you can definitely distract her."

"What exactly are you saying?" Giles glared at Spike.

"Oh…" Xander nodded knowingly. "She’s got this vampire Ceti acting like a Willow-bot. Like Spike had that Buffy-bot."

"Xander…" Buffy gave him a withering glare. "We agreed to never mention that thing again."

"Look, kiddies… all I’m sayin’ is that she’s got that vampire sporting red hair in Willow’s style, she’s dressing her up like a walking talking Willow doll, and when I left, the two of them were on Tara’s… I mean, Mara’s bed playing with a scorpion."

"Scorpion?" Anya knitted her brows together. "Is that like one of those Tantric sex toys? I remember one called a butterfly."

"A real scorpion." Spike rolled his eyes. "She was calling it Miss Stingy Fantasico. What kind of daft name is that?"

Willow sat at the desk and rested her forehead on the cool surface. She gripped the amulet in one hand and tried to slow her breathing.

"Okay, so I’m thinking this Jinn does have Willow on the brain," Buffy agreed. "How do we use this against her?"

"Simple." Spike lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "Little Red Riding Witch sleeps with the Jinn while we set up for the exorcism."

"What!" Willow sat up and her face turned the color of a fire hydrant.

"After a few thousand years of seduction, I’ll bet she has all kinds of orgasm tricks," Anya said dreamily.

"I… I’m not… I am not sleeping with that thing!" Willow jumped to her feet. "I mean…ew! No. No way. That is a definite no."

"It is Tara’s body," Anya pointed out.

"Ew!" Willow cringed. "No."

"I thought you loved your precious little Tara." Spike sighed. "Guess not."

"That suggestion is out of the question," Giles said. "As well as quite disgusting…even for you, Spike."

"Very disgusting." Buffy glared at Spike.

"Still smarting after that whole thing with Faith in your body?" Spike asked. "I actually felt sorry for G.I. Joe after that one." He shook his head. "Poor bloke never knew what hit him." He looked over at Willow. "Guess your lover can just stay locked up in limbo forever. Though she didn’t like it much when Glory locked her inside her own mind."

"Willow is not sleeping with the genie," Buffy decreed. "Next plan?"

"Must be awful," Spike continued. "After going through that brain suck with Glory… now for her to just be locked away in the dark…" He saw that Willow was turning pale as death and he smirked. "All alone… bet she thinks she’s gone wacky again. Hell, after this, she just might lose her marbles for good."

"Let’s go," Willow said as she stood. Her legs were shaking and she had to balance herself on the table. "I’ll do anything to get Tara back."

"Well, you’re not doing that!" Buffy yelled.

"This is Tara’s life." Willow looked at her best friend. "Besides, maybe it’s time this Jinn learned a few tricks from me." Her eyes narrowed as she squeezed the amulet that held Tara’s soul captive. "She’s not the only one who can put on a show."

End Section One.